Rising asphalt costs may increase project’s price tag

State grant will help offset District 101’s expense

Published: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 7:29 a.m. CDT

Morris Community High School’s planned parking lot resurfacing project may cost more than originally expected due to an increase in asphalt costs.

The high school board approved the project during Monday’s regular meeting. The cost of asphalt went up 15 percent, Superintendent Dr. Pat Halloran said. The project could come in lower, but the district can handle the expense even if it doesn’t.

“The cost will be offset in part by the $50,000 anticipated school facility grant from the state,” he said. In addition, some of the school’s other projects have come in under expected cost.

Last month, the board approved having Halloran apply for the grant. The district received the grant last year, and it was used for the purchasing of a new lift system at the school, for automated dividers in the field house, and for a new cafeteria sound system.

This year, the grant can only be used toward one project, and that will be the resurfacing.

The school will get a price break on the project by working with the city in sharing costs for the paving. The city and district worked together last year in paving the school’s other lots.

The school will repave the student parking lot and Circle Drive in front of the school, as well as doing other parking lot maintenance work. The city’s estimation for the school’s portion, including engineering, is about $322,000. This is before bids on the project have been collected. Whatever is not covered by the grant has been budgeted by the district, said Halloran.
Amended budget

The MCHS board approved the adoption of the Fiscal Year 2013 amended budget. A public hearing for the budget was held just before the regular meeting, and no one from the public attended.

Halloran shared a little bit of good news that the state made an extra payment to the district that was not expected, bringing the Education Fund’s revenue up by $163,700.

“This was largely in part of some early tax money paid to the state of Illinois, so they were able to release more dollars to the schools,” he said.

For the amended budget, that put the Education Fund’s revenues up to $8,043,591. Another amendment was in the Transportation Fund with an increase in revenues and an increase in expenditures.

The district received an additional special education transportation reimbursement from the state for $61,450. But the costs for special education transportation were also higher than expected by about $63,000. The Transportation Fund has a revenue now of $765,777 and expenditures of $753,500.